Jazz can be somewhat hit or miss for me. While I nearly always appreciate it, my sheer enjoyment of a sustained jazz set can vary from "I love this!" to "that was ... interesting." I can now officially say that the Nels Cline Singers belong firmly in the first category.Nels brought his free jazz trio to Madison and Chicago earlier this week. It was another case of the further-away show going onsale before the hometown show, and I soon found myself with tickets to both. Nels rarely disappoints, however, so I was up for a Singers double header.
In fact, by the end of the Chicago show, I would have been up for a Singers triple, quadruple, or quintuple header. I loved every minute of their sets at the High Noon and at Martyrs'. From quiet to loud, melodic to discordant, it was all good. My ability to intelligently review a show like this is nonexistent, so I'll leave it at that. But if the Singers come back to my neighborhood again, you can bet I'll be there.
(I'm in Kansas City right now, and there are supposed to be strong storms tonight with a chance of hail and tornadoes. It may be a fun night at work!)
